Thomas Peacock

Thomas Peacock was the kid with his ear to the door when older relatives were in the next room, talking family and Fond du Lac history. So, it was no surprise he grew up to be an author and historian. In 2018, together with wife Elizabeth Albert-Peacock, he started Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing, to promote Native authors and illustrators. 

Creators and Guests

BA

Producer

Britt Aamodt

What is Fond du Lac Arts?

Fond du Lac Arts is a series exploring the stories, creative expression, and craftsmanship of Fond du Lac artists from a range of disciplines.

This project is produced by AMPERS, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities in partnership with WGZS, the Radio Voice of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

INTRO: You are listening to Fond du Lac Arts: Community through the Creative Arts.

NARRATOR: As a kid, Thomas Peacock loved to hear the old stories. He looked forward to days when relatives dropped by the house.

THOMAS PEACOCK: They would sit around and talk story, and us kids would get sent into a room to play. And I'd always be hanging out at the doorway listening to those adults. So I heard a lot of family history and community stories.

[sound element: fire]

NARRATOR: One story that stuck with him was the Cloquet Fire of 1918 and how it affected people on the Fond du Lac reservation. Some homes were burned to the foundation.

THOMAS: My grandfather lived upriver, I think about eight miles, an area called [Ojibwe word], and that we call the old farm, because parts of that land are still in the family. And when the fire came, they came down on an old wagon trail, on wagon, and were able to get into a rail car, and that pulled out a cold case. So, they survived that way.

[sound element: rail car]

NARRATOR: These family stories got him interested in history, so much so that he ended up becoming a professor of education, teaching American History.

PEACOCK: But my real interest, of course, was in our Indigenous history.

NARRATOR: So, in the 1970s, he and a friend began interviewing Fond du Lac elders and recording their stories. Later, he collaborated on A Forever Story: The People and Community of the Fond du Lac Reservation.

[sound element: tape recorder]

Thomas Peacock continues to write stories based in Ojibwe culture and history, and with his wife Elizabeth, owns Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing. Music

PEACOCK: And it was going to be our retirement gig, because we had both retired from the university. And we're sitting around wondering how we could continue to give back. And we saw this need for Native published work and an outlet for Native writers and for Native artists, illustrators.

NARRATOR: Since 2018, they’ve published almost 60 books and are putting new Native voices on bookshelves every year.

OUTRO: Fond du Lac Arts is produced by AMPERS and WGZS, the radio voice of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.